Bully Leaders and How To Protect Your Team

Bully LeadersI'm not sure why I'm still a little surprised each time I hear about a leader who behaves like a bully in the workplace. Considering the massive amount of awareness out there relative to workplace bullying, you would like to think this issue had gone by the way of copier codes we used to assign employees.But sadly, the people our employees should trust the most are the ones they sometimes need to be wary of the most.It turns out, your job title doesn't afford you the opportunity to be a bully, your ridiculous behavior simply destroys your credibility while you strut around acting like you are the second coming.Harsh? Not one bit. Try being on the receiving end of a bully leader's behavior. It's horrible.Holding the Bully Leader AccountableDespite the coaching and guidance we provide to employees who become targets, there is only one legitimate way to address bulling behavior. It is a tactic that I have used repeatedly over the years, and it is incredibly effective.Here are the steps I've found that shut down the bully leader:1. Immediately confront the bully and require (not ask) that the behavior stop.2. Advise them that under no circumstances will they have access to your team members unless they work directly through you.3. Allow for some time to pass before you meet with the bully to set your expectations going forward based on their specific behavior choices. (this delay will remove their sense of control and shift the power to you)

How About YouI don't even need to ask if you know who the bully leaders are in your organization. My real question is...what are you doing about them?I'd love to hear from you.No Excuses.pic